SYDNEY—A small passenger plane carrying 32 people crashed in bad weather near the Papua New Guinea coast on Thursday, with witness and press reports saying only four people survived.
The Airlines PNG Dash 8 was flying from the mountain gateway city of Lae to coastal Madang when it crashed in dense forest around 5:00pm local time (0800 GMT), Australia’s Accident Investigation Commission (AIC) said.
Two pilots from Australia and New Zealand were believed to be among the four survivors, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) said.
Airlines PNG said in a statement on its website: “There were 28 passengers and four crew members on board. There appear to be some survivors, while a number of people remain unaccounted for.”
It added: “Emergency services have been activated and Airlines PNG is co-operating with authorities to mount rescue and recovery efforts.”
The airline said it had grounded its Dash 8 fleet of 12 aircraft until further notice.
“Airlines PNG fully supports the action of local authorities at Lae who have quarantined aviation fuel at Lae airport,” the statement said.
“Our prayers and thoughts are now with all those affected by this very sad day for Papua New Guinea.”
Witnesses told local media only four people had survived.
AIC investigator Sid O’Toole said there had been “adverse weather around the area at the time”, but could not confirm witness reports of a violent and sudden storm ahead of the crash, 20 kilometers south of Madang, near the mouth of the Gogol river.
Most of those on board were believed to be the families of local university students travelling to a weekend graduation ceremony, according to media reports, which also cited witnesses seeing flames.
“It was hard to get there (the crash site). Very dense,” local firefighter Joe Dunar told AAP.
The forest area had been secured by police and ambulances had arrived on the scene, with local emergency authorities and hospitals on standby, O’Toole said.
A crash investigator was already on the ground in Madang and Australian transport accident officials had been contacted for assistance, he added.
More than 20 planes have crashed since 2000 in Papua New Guinea, whose rugged terrain and lack of internal connecting roads make air travel crucial for its six million citizens.
A 20-seat Twin Otter crashed in August 2009, killing nine Australians and one Japanese tourist on the short journey from Port Moresby to the popular Kokoda trekking site.
That accident — in which an aircraft ploughed into a mountainside — also involved an Airlines PNG plane, with a subsequent report ruling pilot error was likely at fault in conditions of poor visibility.
PNG has since introduced legislation requiring all aircraft carrying more than nine people to have a cockpit recorder installed.
The impoverished South Pacific nation has only had an air accident commission since 2008, established in response to claims that corruption and a lack of funding had led to a sharp decline in safety standards.